UNEP LAUNCHES ENVIRONMENT AND TRADE HUB

Participants: From left: Mark Eddo, moderator; Amina Mohamed, Cabinet Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kenya; Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, CEO of ICTSD; Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director; Gregory Domingo, Trade Minister of the Philippines; Fred Agah, WTO Deputy Director General. -

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched an Environment and Trade Hub, the initiative which will assist countries to use sustainable trade as a vehicle for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Participants: From left: Mark Eddo, moderator; Amina Mohamed, Cabinet Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kenya; Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, CEO of ICTSD; Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director; Gregory Domingo, Trade Minister of the Philippines; Fred Agah, WTO Deputy Director General. -  

 UNEP Executive Director Mr. Achim Steiner said, "UNEP is already working directly with many governments and other stakeholders to implement an inclusive green economy in countries across all continents.

According to him, ‘the Hub holds enormous potential to build on this experience and help unlock the true capabilities of developing countries, using trade as a motor for sustainable development and environmental protection, and benefiting every single one of us."

The Hub was formally launched at an event on the sidelines of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi. UNEP co-hosted the plenary session entitled "Trade and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda" with the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) at the opening of ICTSD's Trade and Development Symposium.

Trade is a key means of implementation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainable trade can impact positively on goals across the board, in areas such as food security and sustainable agriculture, sustainable management of water and sanitation, access to modern energy, and mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Many countries are unable to make effective use of international markets, gain access to sustainable global value chains to equitably grow their economies, and attract overseas investment to build modern, sustainable industries and contribute to global value chains. African countries, for example, account for less than 2 per cent of international trade.

The Hub aims to enhance the capacity of countries to design and implement trade policies that foster environmental sustainability and human well-being; to assist countries in the realization of trade opportunities arising from a transition to greener economies; to strengthen the sustainability aspects of cross-border trade and investment agreements in negotiations; and to realize a shift of trade practices and trends to more sustainable pathways.